Alaska Science Forum: Rafts of birds overwintering in the Bering SeaLike flecks of pepper on chowder, all of the spectacled eiders on the planet are now gathered amid sea ice and steaming open leads in the Bering Sea. "It's a mass of life in this desolate area," said Matt Sexson, who once rode an icebreaker to see the winter gathering south of St. Lawrence Island. Sexson, a biologist with the USGS Science Center in Anchorage, just handed in a draft of his Ph.D. chapter on the crea...

NLC Power Rankings: Kodiak’s boys are a tale of two teamsA trend is starting to appear for the Kodiak boys basketball team. The Bears play well in the front end of weekend doubleheaders, but fall flat in the nightcap. Kodiak played Colony tough in a loss and beat Kenai and Soldotna in Friday Northern Lights Conference games, but lost to all three on Saturday by a combined 50 points. What is going on? “I think it is part of conditioning. I’m playing these guys a lot of m...

Kevin Riley RogersKevin Riley Rogers died on Feb. 3, 2015, in Kodiak, Alaska. Kevin born June 28, 1977, in Boise, Idaho, to Judy Westmoreland Rogers and Gary Rogers. He graduated from Madison High School in Rexburg, Idaho, in 1995. He lived in Rexburg from 1980 to 1995, in Sitka from 1995 to 2006 and in Cordova from 2007 to 2015. Kevin was a carpenter, charter boat captain and commercial fisherman. He loved the outdoors and was an ...

Borough discusses strategic planThe Kodiak Island Borough Assembly discussed its strategic plan and the formation of a special committee to facilitate land sales. In January, the assembly held an all-day work session centered on strategic planning. The resulting drafts have been condensed down to a list of four overarching goals and several steps to achieve each goal. The strategic plan is intended to govern the borough for the next five years. ...

Alutiiq Museum to offer instructor educationThe Alutiiq Museum is hosting a free three-day workshop for instructor skills training to grow cultural education for the future. The workshop, offered in part by the Cook Inlet Region Inc. Foundation, the Kodiak Island Borough School District and Kodiak College, is Feb. 25 through 27. The first day, participants will “explore best practices and philosophies of cultural arts education,” according to a news release...

Kodiak breaks rain recordA week after the winter’s first blizzard, a storm saturated the island with a record amount of rain. The National Weather Service recorded 1.25 inches of rain Sunday at the Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport, breaking the Feb. 15 record of .66 inches set in 2012. As of 2 p.m. Monday, Kodiak had received 1.20 inches of rain, .25 inches short of the 2010 record. For the year, 15.59 inches of rain has been recorded, w...

Public Safety Blotter: Feb. 17Jan. 12 At 10:40 a.m., a caller reported criminal trespass on Thorsheim Street. The caller did not want them banned. At 11 a.m., police warned a driver on Von Scheele Way for not stopping completely at a stop sign. At 11:43 a.m., police cited a driver on Willow Street for having no proof of insurance. At 12:14 p.m., a caller reported a truck hitting a building on Marine Way. At 3:07 p.m., a caller on Shelikof Stre...

Kodiak Island Births: Feb. 17Veda Mae Stabnau was born at 2:07 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, to Jared and Catherine Stabnau. She weighed 8 pounds, 10.2 ounces and measured 20 inches long. Her parents are originally from Missoula, Montana, and now live in Kodiak. Her father works for the U.S. Coast Guard. Fiona Mae Ponce Rivera was born at 4:56 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 9, 2015, to Mai Lourdes Ponce. She weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 18...

Outdoor Kodiak: Get ready for fishingMy eyes were really opened in January. We were fortunate enough to be invited for three weeks of fishing in Florida, and of course we accepted. The first few days were devoted exclusively to fly fishing, but my awakening came on the day I was handed a spinning rod for tossing jigs. It was a very lightweight 7 foot rod rated for 1/8 oz to ¼ oz lures. In spite of its light weight it was surprisingly stiff. The reel ...